Joe Bendik’s breakout season is showing no signs of slowing down.
The Orlando City goalkeeper was voted Alcatel MLS Player of the Month for April by members of the media, the league announced on Wednesday.
The 28-year-old ‘keeper helped push Orlando to the top of the league with four wins in five April matches, including four straight wins to close the month. He led all MLS goalkeepers with four April victories, while his three shutouts this year – two of which came in April – rank second in the league.
Orlando’s stingy defense has conceded just five goals in seven games this year, tied for second in MLS. The Lions will play two road matches this week, taking on Toronto FC at BMO Field on Wednesday night (7:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE in the US, TSN1/3/4/5 in Canada) before facing off with the Houston Dynamo at BBVA Compass Stadium on Saturday (8:30 pm ET | MLS LIVE).
After opening the month with a 2-0 loss at Columbus Crew SC, Bendik and Orlando got back on track on with a 1-0 victory against the New York Red Bulls on April 9 at Orlando City Stadium. He made a couple of huge saves on Bradley Wright-Phillips to key the win, including a diving stop in the opening minutes and a swat in the 85th to keep the Red Bulls off the board.
Bendik helped Orlando to a 2-1 home win against LA on April 15, then turned in his best performance of the year in a 2-1 win at New York City FC on April 23. He recorded a season-high seven saves in the match, including an incredible 93rd minute stop on a David Villa effort to preserve all three points.
He notched a shutout in Orlando’s last match, a 2-0 home win against Colorado on Saturday that improved the Lions to 6-1-0 on the year.
Alcatel MLS Player of the Month is voted on by a panel of select national media member in a process conducted by MLS Communications.
